Wizolympics 2016: Sand Fortification Finals

The Sand Fortification Final was one for the record books. The five finalists, Australia, Egypt, Germany, South Africa, and the UK, duked it out for hours. Sand flew everywhere, coating quite a few of the bystanders, as the sand creations battled each other.

The UK was the first out, sadly, after the giant bust of Harry Potter’s head was smashed to pieces by one of Germany’s creations. The ten-foot-tall sand Rapunzel rose from her sleep to wield her hair like a whip, beating down Britain’s Boy-Who-Lived. There’s been no word from Harry Potter himself about how he feels about this tragic defeat.

Germany

However, despite its strong start, the German team did not take home the Galleon. After crushing the UK, they turned their sight to Australia. Although there was speculation that the Australian team’s castle was too delicate for battle, they proved to be fierce competition. They revealed an array of hidden catapults, which they used to try to batter Rapunzel into submission.

Sadly, their defeat of the towering princess was a Pyrrhic victory, for as Rapunzel fell, she crushed Australia’s castle, knocking them out of the competition. After the fall of their protector, the German team was left vulnerable and was quickly overrun by the Egyptian team, leaving them with the Knut.

The Egyptian team made a strong showing. Once the competition began, their beautifully carved pharaohs rose up to command an army of sand mummies. By utilizing an army, the Egyptian team was able to build up a strong defense and offense. The versatility of an army also allowed them to attack on multiple fronts, as with their attack on Germany.

Egypt

However, it was their fight against the South African team that really drew attention. South Africa’s entry proved to be a dark horse, with the country not having qualified for the finals in some years. That didn’t stop them from dominating the field, though. Their detailed animal carvings tore through the Egyptian team’s mummies, with the big cats proving to be especially dangerous.

South Africa

The two countries battled it out for almost three hours, sending in wave after wave of attackers. However, South Africa eventually won the Galleon after sending its elephants around the side to march directly on the Egyptian team’s castle. Their big feet soon crushed the structure into nothing, leaving the South African team victorious and the Egyptian team with the Sickle.

While being interviewed after the competition, the South African team captain, Charle Pillay, said that the team was absolutely thrilled to win after working so hard for so many months and that he was so incredibly proud of all of his teammates. He also said that they were definitely looking forward to coming back. All in all, it was a fantastic battle, and all of the contestants are no doubt anticipating the next Wizolympics, to either try to defend their title or try to battle their way to the top.